Pro-Line

I have a 28 or 29" draw length. I have never cut arrows. I shoot full length shafts. The added weight doesn't hurt...I never have to measure arrow length when buying new. I still make sure the arrows are spined correctly.

If you're shooting 3D or want a SLIGHTLY flatter trajectory, then cutting off 3-4" MIGHT make a difference. For hunting applications the extra length isn't important to me.

Not cutting arrows has suited me well since the 70's...so I don't see a cut-off saw in my future.

Born 2 Bow Hunt

There are some pretty good comments above. But don't forget accuracy and noise which sometimes suffer with light arrows and speed.... Hopefully your set up will work well for you, but I would give careful attention to both before taking it in the field.

Let us know what you select and how well it performs....

Paul L Mohr

The correct AMO draw length is going to be 3/4 of an inch less than your measured AMO draw length. This is what the charts and online calculators go by.

Like Dave said, you can shoot any length arrow you want to make it fit your needs, however you need to take that length into consideration when picking an arrow for your bow. If you change the length of your arrow the spine will change.

You can't look at an arrow chart and just pick what ever length arrow you want, it has to be the correct length for your set up. If you pick a shorter or longer arrow than required you need to adjust for it. Which is sort of difficult with a simple chart or calculator. This is why the new arrow spine programs are so nice. You can enter any length you want it will calculate it for you.

For instance I shoot a longer arrow than I need. I should shoot 25 inch arrows and I shoot 27 inch arrows. In order to this I had to go to a stiffer spined arrow than what is actually called for with my set up. (Actually I wanted the specific size arrow and needed to know the correct length required to get the proper spine.)

Paul

Paul L Mohr

It's not a rule of thumb as much as a industry standard and AMO specification. If you are going to stray from it you better be pretty good at using an arrow chart in order to choose the correct spine for your set up. Or use software that will calculate it for you.

Paul

TEmbry

Looks like it is sound advise to follow then.

Ive been living on Ontarget2 waiting for my new strings to arrive. Obviously the program cant be spot on until you enter actual chrono speeds, but it will be in the ballpark until i get it setup and shooting through the chrony for more exact results. Even these programs are off some, There was a difference in my actual arrow weight and calculated arrow weight of 15 grains...still pretty small when looking at a 481 grain arrow.

Ive messed around and found two different setups that i can do with my exact arrow setup, simply by changing head weight and draw weight.

Paul L Mohr

No they are not perfect, but they are way are closer than any of the charts or online calculators are. And they are very flexible letting you try many things. Once you get it adjusted right it is pretty accurate though. Some of the weights are a bit off though, I always measure everything for myself just to be sure.

Paul

M77man

Thanks for the info, that actually makes more sense now that I think about it some more. I'm going to take my arrows up to the ma and pa pro shop to have them cut anyway. I'll have my bow hunting buddy measure it first, see what he thinks, then see what the pro shop thinks also. I need to find out more about the "spine" factor also.

Thanks for all of the input

davidmil

Well a couple suggestions. First off, it's possible to shorten them a couple times but you can't add length back. You might want to spin all your arrows and see what ones are the straightest and which ones are NOT. You can't make a crooked arrow group with the others. Then rather than having them all cut at once, just do a couple or maybe two for two different lengths. Then shoot your test arrows for each length and see if you have any glaring problems or kudos going on. You may want to try a couple different weight headsin case you're borderline on spine or too stiff. Rather than butcher a dozen arrows, do some experimenting. Everyones form and set up has it's own little quirks. Find what shoots best from your bow with you shooting it. Shoot them over 2 or 3 days as we all have a bad day once in a while. Great time of year to play and experiment. If these arrows aren't fletched yet you might want to have them cut some off both ends.

M77man

Awesome, very good information and suggestions. I appreciate it very much! I think I will do that. Might as well get it perfected, right?